“O for that night,
when I in him, might live invisible and dim!”
In Days of the Guardian, the character, “The Captain,” has a vast love for poetry and literature, combined with a large memory. He quotes from his faves all the time, as if the words possessed a mind of their own.
Speaking of quotes, it has been said (credit goes to a Charles Caleb Colton) that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ I wholeheartedly agree. Authors have their own favorites and are strongly influenced by other authors. What better way to spread the joy than to sprinkle a novel with their sage wisdom (always giving them the credit, of course…) One of my favorite authors, Madeleine L’Engle, introduced me to Henry Vaughan (quoted above) in her novel, Ring of Endless Light.
Take note of the quotes in The Red String. From Henry Vaughan and C.S. Lewis, to Shakespeare and the Bible, there is much literary wisdom to glean from. If you are strictly a fiction reader, maybe this will give you a sneak peek of literature you never knew about before. Who knows, maybe you are a lover of poetry like The Captain. You just never knew it before!
Literature influences included in The Red String–
Great list! I too love to store (in documents and, sometimes, in my mind) quotes from great writers. I want to teach myself to write in different styles by imitating different authors–starting with Jane Austen. 🙂
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Imitating different styles is a great idea, Anna! I am a little intimidated by it, but still!
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You’ve chosen a superb group of writers to imitate, a wonderful mix of scripture, fiction, nonfiction.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
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Thank you, Marylin!
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Wow, that’s quite a list of sources!
My reading generally goes towards nonfiction history, and scifi/fantasy.
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You must love research and have a great imagination!
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Hard to go wrong with a list like that!
To what do I owe the honour of the (mutual) follow? Looking forward to future discussion–cheers.
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Thanks! I suppose we all look forward to the future…unless you’re Marty McFly. Cheers!
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I don’t recall how I found you, but as a songwriter, I find your poems very lyrical. I like poems I can sing…
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Thank you. I hadn’t thought of them in terms of the being lyrical, but in retrospect—most of them come come from 2007-2008—that is quite true. Cadence was always a big part of their composition, and I remember that I would almost sing them to myself to ensure they’e were phrased correctly.
I hope to post another tomorrow, and as I was copying it from paper back to electronic format, I was singing it exactly as I now remembered five or six years ago.
Yes, lyrical is the right word. Thank you for the observation.
I’ve wondered on the odd occasion if I could be a lyricist for song writing. What’s that experience like?
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Yes! They have a nice cadence- perfect word. Song writing is very subjective. Lyrics are usually the first thing I write, but I have adapted a few poems into songs- some word for word, others not. For example, James Whitcomb Riley’s poem “If I Knew What Poets Know” was a word-for-word song. I adapted a poem by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “Who I am?” into a song called Bird in a Cage. I would get together with a songwriter you know (they are everywhere- like bugs). See if something can be created (again)! =)
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Thanks DMP. Appreciate the insight.
Have to run. Hallowe’en candy duty starts shortly.
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